1. You must first determine the dry weight of the fiber, cloth, or yarn you want to dye, measured in grams, remembering that 1 pound = 454 grams.

2. You then need to refer back to the 2007/2008 Color Forecasting color chips of the desired color way to determine the exact depth of shade for the dye you are using, with either the MX Dyes or WashFast Dyes.

3. Then, multiply the number of grams of your fiber by the % of shade desired.

EXAMPLE: 30 gm dyed at 2% OWG (on weight of goods)

a. Change the % of shade to a decimal by dividing by 100, OR moving the decimal two places to the left (2% = 0.02)

b. 30 X 0.02 = 0.6 gm of dye powder needed to dye 30 gm of fiber at a 2% shade

4. At this point we need to determine which is the most accurate and easiest way to measure this weight: dry or by volume from a solution.

You have three options:

a. Use a gram scale and weigh the dry dye powder

b. Use portions of a teaspoon, remembering that:1 level tsp = approximately 2.5 gm
You color will come close but may not match, due to the differences in dye densities among all     colors.

c. Measure by volume, from a 1% dye stock solution. This is made by one of two ways:

1 tsp. of dye in 1 cup of room temperature water OR 2.5 gm in 250 ml of room temperature water

5. a. A triple beam scale or small counter balance scale or postage or diet scale is the most accurate way to measure and get repeatable results.

b. Measuring with kitchen equipment (used only for dyeing), you can do a little bit of math here, to determine what portion of a teaspoon or tablespoon equals 0.6 gm.

1 tsp = 2.5 gm            1 Tbl = 7.5gm

1 tsp    =   "x" tsp
2.5 gm     0.6 gm

Cross multiply this equation and you get:

"x" tsp times 2.5 = 0.6

Divide each side of the equation by 2.5:

"x" tsp = 0.6 x = 0.24 tsp
               2.5

Looking at the different teaspoons and their equivalencies in a decimal form, you then need to determine which combination of them will give you the amount you have just figured.

1 tsp= 1.0      1/2 tsp = 0.5      1/4 tsp = 0.25      1/8 tsp = 0.125

If we need 0.24 tsp of dye powder, we can measure ¼ teaspoon and get the approximate amount of dye powder for our recipe.

c. To do volumetric measuring from a 1% dye stock solution, we have to think about proportions again. A 1% solution means that we have 1 gm of dye in every 100ml of solution. We will set up our equation, the same way as in "b" above.

1 gm    =    0.6 gm
100 ml       "x" ml

Cross multiply and you get: "x" ml = 0.6 X 100 x = 60 ml of a 1% solution

For Dye Painting, use these steps.

1. Refer back to the 2007/2008 Color Forecasting color chips of each color way to determine the exact number of grams of dye per cup of dye paint you need, using either the MX Dyes or WashFast Dyes.

2. You now need to convert those grams to portions of a teaspoon, remembering that:1 level tsp = approximately 2.5 gm
NOTE: Weighing by grams will always match the color chips better than measuring by teaspoons.

3. a. A triple beam scale or small counter balance scale or postage or diet scale is the most accurate way to measure and get repeatable results, when working in grams.

b. Measuring with kitchen equipment (used only for dyeing), you can do a little bit of math here, to determine what portion of a teaspoon or tablespoon to use.

Let's say we need 30 gm of dye powder to make one of our colors to dye paint with.

1 tsp = 2.5 gm            1 Tbl = 7.5gm

1 tsp    =   "x" tsp
2.5 gm     30 gm

Cross multiply this equation and you get:

"x" tsp times 2.5 = 30

Divide each side of the equation by 2.5:

"x" tsp = 30 x =12 teaspoons (or 4 Tablespoons, because 1 Tablespoon = 3 teaspoons)
               2.5
You would then need to weigh and measure either 30 grams on a gram scale or 12 teaspoons (4 Tablespoons) of dye powder to use in making one cup (250ml) of dye paint.

Directions for Immersion Dyeing using MX Dyes

Directions for Dye Painting using MX Dyes

Directions for Immersion Dyeing using WashFast Acid Dyes

Directions for Dye Painting using WashFast Acid Dyes

For further technical help, please call 508-676-3838